ECU CHEVROLET BOLT EV 2021 User Guide

Chevrolet Bolt EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
14637856) - 2021 - CRC - 10/2/20
Seats and Restraints 41
The driver and front outboard passenger
seat-mounted side impact airbags are in the
side of the seatbacks closest to the door.
The roof-rail airbags for the driver, front
outboard passenger, and second row
outboard passengers are in the ceiling above
the side windows.
Rear Seat Driver Side Shown, Passenger SideSimilar
On vehicles with second row seat-mounted
side impact airbags, they are in the sides of
the seatback closest to the door.
{Warning
If something is between an occupant and
an airbag, the airbag might not inflate
properly or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury or even
death. The path of an inflating airbag
must be kept clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an airbag, and
do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any
other airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that block the
inflation path of a seat-mounted side
impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof of a
vehicle with roof-rail airbags by routing a
rope or tie‐down through any door or
window opening. If you do, the path of
an inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
When Should an Airbag Inflate?
This vehicle is equipped with airbags.
Airbags are designed to inflate if the impact
exceeds the specific airbag system's
deployment threshold. Deployment thresholds are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the airbags
to inflate and help restrain the occupants.
The vehicle has electronic sensors that help
the airbag system determine the severity of
the impact. Deployment thresholds can vary
with specific vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are designed to inflate in
moderate to severe frontal or near frontal
crashes to help reduce the potential for
severe injuries, mainly to the driver's or
front outboard passenger's head and chest.
Whether the frontal airbags will or should
inflate is not based primarily on how fast
the vehicle is traveling. It depends on what
is hit, the direction of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may inflate at different crash
speeds depending on whether the vehicle
hits an object straight on or at an angle,
and whether the object is fixed or moving,
rigid or deformable, narrow or wide.
Frontal airbags are not intended to inflate
during vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or in
many side impacts.

Chevrolet Bolt EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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44 Seats and Restraints
Passenger Sensing System
The vehicle has a passenger sensing system
for the front outboard passenger position.
The passenger airbag status indicator will
light on the overhead console when the
vehicle is started.
United States
Canada
The words ON and OFF, or the symbols for
on and off, will be visible during the system
check. When the system check is complete,
either the word ON or OFF, or the symbol
for on or off, will be visible. See Passenger
Airbag Status Indicator 084. The passenger sensing system turns off the
front outboard passenger frontal airbag and
knee airbag under certain conditions. No
other airbag is affected by the passenger
sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with
sensors that are part of the front outboard
passenger seat and seat belt. The sensors
are designed to detect the presence of a
properly seated occupant and determine if
the front outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag should be allowed to inflate
or not.
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly secured in a rear seat
in the correct child restraint for their weight
and size.
Whenever possible, children aged 12 and
under should be secured in a rear seating
position.
Never put a rear-facing child seat in the
front. This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag
inflates.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the
passenger frontal airbag inflates. This is
because the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to the
inflating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the passenger
frontal airbag inflates and the passenger
seat is in a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing system has
turned off the front outboard passenger
airbag(s), no system is fail-safe. No one
can guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual circumstance,
even though the airbag(s) are off.
Never put a rear-facing child restraint in
the front seat, even if the airbag is off.
If securing a forward-facing child restraint
in the front outboard passenger seat,
always move the seat as far back as it
will go. It is better to secure child
restraints in the rear seat. Consider using
another vehicle to transport the child
when a rear seat is not available.

Chevrolet Bolt EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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Seats and Restraints 45
If the vehicle does not have a rear seat that
will accommodate a rear-facing child
restraint, a rear-facing child restraint should
not be installed in the vehicle, even if the
airbag is off.
The passenger sensing system is designed to
turn off the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag if:
.The front outboard passenger seat is
unoccupied.
.The system determines an infant is
present in a child restraint.
.A front outboard passenger takes his/her
weight off of the seat for a period
of time.
.There is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing system has
turned off the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag, the OFF
indicator will light and stay lit as a reminder
that the airbags are off. See Passenger
Airbag Status Indicator 084.
The passenger sensing system is designed to
turn on the front outboard passenger frontal
airbag and knee airbag anytime the system
senses that a person of adult size is sitting
properly in the front outboard passenger seat. When the passenger sensing system
has allowed the airbags to be enabled, the
ON indicator will light and stay lit as a
reminder that the airbags are active.
For some children, including children in child
restraints, and for very small adults, the
passenger sensing system may or may not
turn off the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag, depending
upon the person's seating posture and body
build. Everyone in the vehicle who has
outgrown child restraints should wear a seat
belt properly
—whether or not there is an
airbag for that person.{Warning
If the airbag readiness light ever comes
on and stays on, it means that
something may be wrong with the airbag
system. To help avoid injury to yourself
or others, have the vehicle serviced right
away. See Airbag Readiness Light 084
for more information, including important
safety information.
If the On Indicator Is Lit for a Child
Restraint
The passenger sensing system is designed to
turn off the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag if the system
determines that an infant is present in a
child restraint. If a child restraint has been
installed and the ON indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such as blankets, cushions, seat
covers, seat heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions provided by the child restraint
manufacturer and refer to Securing Child
Restraints (With the Seat Belt in the Rear
Seat) 064 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat
Belt in the Front Seat) 066.
Make sure the seat belt retractor is
locked by pulling the shoulder belt all
the way out of the retractor when
installing the child restraint, even if the
child restraint is equipped with a seat

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46 Seats and Restraints
belt lock off. When the retractor lock is
set, the belt can be tightened but not
pulled out of the retractor.
5. If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the vehicle, the ON
indicator is still lit, turn the vehicle off.
Then slightly recline the vehicle seatback
and adjust the seat cushion,
if adjustable, to make sure that the
vehicle seatback is not pushing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. Also
make sure the child restraint is not
trapped under the vehicle head restraint.
If this happens, adjust the head restraint.
See Head Restraints 026.
6. Restart the vehicle.
The passenger sensing system may or may
not turn off the airbags for a child in a child
restraint depending upon the child’s size.
It is better to secure the child restraint in a
rear seat. Consider using another vehicle to
transport the child when a rear seat is not
available. Never put a rear-facing child
restraint in the front seat, even if the ON
indicator is not lit.If the Off Indicator Is Lit for an
Adult-Sized Occupant
If a person of adult size is sitting in the
front outboard passenger seat, but the OFF
indicator is lit, it could be because that
person is not sitting properly in the seat or
that the child restraint locking feature is
engaged. Use the following steps to allow
the system to detect that person and enable
the front outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag: 1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional material from the seat, such as blankets, cushions, seat
covers, seat heaters, or seat massagers. 3. Place the seatback in the fully upright
position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with legs
comfortably extended.
5. If the shoulder portion of the belt is pulled out all the way, the child restraint
locking feature will be engaged. This
may unintentionally cause the passenger
sensing system to turn the airbag off for
some adult-sized occupants. If this
happens, unbuckle the belt and let the
belt go back all the way, and then
buckle the belt again without pulling the
belt out all the way.
6. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for two to
three minutes after the ON indicator
is lit.
{Warning
If the front outboard passenger airbag is
turned off for an adult-sized occupant,
the airbag will not be able to inflate and
help protect that person in a crash,
resulting in an increased risk of serious
injury or even death. An adult-sized
(Continued)

Chevrolet Bolt EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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Seats and Restraints 51
{Warning
Never hold an infant or a child while
riding in a vehicle. Due to crash forces, an
infant or a child will become so heavy it
is not possible to hold it during a crash.
For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb) infant
will suddenly become a 110 kg (240 lb)
force on a person's arms. An infant or
child should be secured in an appropriate
child restraint.
{Warning
Children who are up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it inflates can
be seriously injured or killed. Never put a
rear-facing child restraint in the front
outboard seat. Secure a rear-facing child
restraint in a rear seat. It is also better to
secure a forward-facing child restraint in
a rear seat. If you must secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the front
outboard seat, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as it will go.
Child restraints are devices used to restrain,
seat, or position children in the vehicle and
are sometimes called child seats or car seats.There are three basic types of child
restraints:
.Forward-facing child restraints
.Rear-facing child restraints
.Belt-positioning booster seats
The proper child restraint for your child
depends on their size, weight, and age, and
also on whether the child restraint is
compatible with the vehicle in which it will
be used.
For each type of child restraint, there are
many different models available. When
purchasing a child restraint, be sure it is
designed to be used in a motor vehicle. If it
is, the child restraint will have a label saying
that it meets federal motor vehicle safety
standards.
The instruction manual that is provided with
the child restraint states the weight and
height limitations for that particular child
restraint. In addition, there are many kinds
of child restraints available for children with
special needs.

Chevrolet Bolt EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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52 Seats and Restraints
{Warning
To reduce the risk of neck and head
injury in a crash, infants and toddlers
should be secured in a rear-facing child
restraint until age two, or until they
reach the maximum height and weight
limits of their child restraint.
{Warning
A young child's hip bones are still so
small that the vehicle seat belt may not
remain low on the hip bones, as it
should. Instead, it may settle up around
the child's abdomen. In a crash, the belt
would apply force on a body area that is
unprotected by any bony structure. This
alone could cause serious or fatal injuries.
To reduce the risk of serious or fatal
injuries during a crash, young children
should always be secured in an
appropriate child restraint.
Child Restraint Systems
Rear-Facing Infant Restraint
A rear-facing child restraint provides
restraint with the seating surface against
the back of the infant.
The harness system holds the infant in place
and, in a crash, acts to keep the infant
positioned in the restraint.
Forward-Facing Child Restraint
A forward-facing child restraint provides
restraint for the child's body with the
harness.

Chevrolet Bolt EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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Seats and Restraints 53
Booster Seats
A belt-positioning booster seat is used for
children who have outgrown their
forward-facing child restraint. Boosters are
designed to improve the fit of the vehicle's
seat belt system until the child is large
enough for the vehicle seat belts to fit
properly without a booster seat. See the
seat belt fit test in Older Children049.
Securing an Add-On Child Restraint in
the Vehicle
{Warning
A child can be seriously injured or killed
in a crash if the child restraint is not
properly secured in the vehicle. Secure
the child restraint properly in the vehicle
using the vehicle seat belt or LATCH
system, following the instructions that
came with that child restraint and the
instructions in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury, the
child restraint must be secured in the
vehicle. Child restraints must be secured in
vehicle seats by lap belts or the lap belt
portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the
LATCH system. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH System) 055 for
more information. Children can be
endangered in a crash if the child restraint is
not properly secured in the vehicle.
When securing an add-on child restraint,
refer to the following:
1. Instruction labels provided on the child restraint 2. Instruction manual provided with the
child restraint
3. This vehicle owner's manual
The child restraint instructions are
important, so if they are not available,
obtain a replacement copy from the
manufacturer.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child
restraint can move around in a collision or
sudden stop and injure people in the vehicle.
Be sure to properly secure any child
restraint in the vehicle —even when no
child is in it.
In some areas Certified Child Passenger
Safety Technicians (CPSTs) are available to
inspect and demonstrate how to correctly
use and install child restraints. In the U.S.,
refer to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) website to locate
the nearest child safety seat inspection
station. For CPST availability in Canada,
check with Transport Canada or the
Provincial Ministry of Transportation office.

Chevrolet Bolt EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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54 Seats and Restraints
Securing the Child Within the Child
Restraint
{Warning
A child can be seriously injured or killed
in a crash if the child is not properly
secured in the child restraint. Secure the
child properly following the instructions
that came with that child restraint.
Where to Put the Restraint
According to accident statistics, children and
infants are safer when properly restrained in
an appropriate child restraint secured in a
rear seating position.
Whenever possible, children aged 12 and
under should be secured in a rear seating
position.
Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the
front. This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great if the airbag
deploys.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the front
passenger airbag inflates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or killed
if the front passenger airbag inflates and
the passenger seat is in a forward
position.
Even if the passenger sensing system has
turned off the front passenger frontal
airbag, no system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not deploy
under some unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a
rear seat, even if the airbag is off. If you
secure a forward-facing child restraint in
the front seat, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as it will go.
It is better to secure the child restraint in
a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System 044 for
additional information. If the vehicle does not have a rear seat that
will accommodate a rear-facing child
restraint, a rear-facing child restraint should
not be installed in the vehicle, even if the
airbag is off.
When securing a child restraint with the
seat belts in a rear seat position, study the
instructions that came with the child
restraint to make sure it is compatible with
this vehicle.
Child restraints and booster seats vary
considerably in size, and some may fit in
certain seating positions better than others.
Do not install a child restraint in any rear
seating position where it cannot be installed
securely.
Depending on where you place the child
restraint and the size of the child restraint,
you may not be able to access adjacent seat
belts or LATCH anchors for additional
passengers or child restraints. Adjacent
seating positions should not be used if the
child restraint prevents access to or
interferes with the routing of the seat belt.
The seat in front of an installed child
restraint should be adjusted to ensure
proper installation according to the child
restraint manual.

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Seats and Restraints 55
Wherever a child restraint is installed, be
sure to follow the instructions that came
with the child restraint and secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child
restraint can move around in a collision or
sudden stop and injure people in the vehicle.
Be sure to properly secure any child
restraint in the vehicle—even when no
child is in it.
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)
The LATCH system secures a child restraint
during driving or in a crash. LATCH
attachments on the child restraint are used
to attach the child restraint to the anchors
in the vehicle. The LATCH system is designed
to make installation of a child restraint
easier. In order to use the LATCH system in your
vehicle, you need a child restraint that has
LATCH attachments. LATCH-compatible
rear-facing and forward-facing child seats can
be properly installed using either the LATCH
anchors or the vehicle’s seat belts. Do not
use both the seat belts and the LATCH
anchorage system to secure a rear-facing or
forward-facing child seat.
Booster seats use the vehicle’s seat belts to
secure the child and the booster seat. If the
manufacturer recommends that the booster
seat be secured with the LATCH system, this
can be done as long as the booster seat can
be positioned properly and there is no
interference with the proper positioning of
the lap-shoulder belt on the child.
Make sure to follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint, and also the
instructions in this manual.
When installing a child restraint with a top
tether, you must also use either the lower
anchors or the seat belts to properly secure
the child restraint. A child restraint must
never be installed using only the top tether
and anchor.
For a forward-facing 5-pt harness child
restraint where the combined weight of the
child and restraint are up to 29.5 kg (65 lb),
use either the lower LATCH anchorages with
the top tether anchorage, or the seat belt
with the top tether anchorage. Where the
combined weight of the child and restraint
are greater than 29.5 kg (65 lb), use the seat
belt with the top tether anchorage only.

Chevrolet Bolt EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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56 Seats and Restraints
Recommended Methods for Attaching Child Restraints
Restraint Type Combined Weight ofthe Child + Child
Restraint Use Only Approved Attachment Methods Shown with an X
LATCH
–Lower
Anchors Only Seat Belt Only LATCH
–Lower
Anchors and Top
Tether Anchor Seat Belt and Top
Tether Anchor
Rear-Facing Child
Restraint Up to 29.5 kg (65 lb)
X X
Rear-Facing Child
Restraint Greater than
29.5 kg (65 lb) X
Forward-Facing Child
Restraint Up to 29.5 kg (65 lb)
X X
Forward-Facing Child
Restraint Greater than
29.5 kg (65 lb) X
See Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat
Belt in the Rear Seat) 064 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Front Seat) 066. Child restraints built after March 2014 will
be labeled with the specific child weight up
to which the LATCH system can be used to
install the restraint.
The following explains how to attach a child
restraint with these attachments in the
vehicle. Not all vehicle seating positions have lower
anchors. In this case, the seat belt must be
used (with top tether where available) to
secure the child restraint. See
Securing Child
Restraints (With the Seat Belt in the Rear
Seat) 064 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Front Seat) 066.